Never let a used milk jug go to waste––in this article, you'll learn how to turn a used one into very handy planters for growing plants indoors.

Steps

1

Find an unwanted plastic milk jug. Any size is fine, although gauge the needs of the plants you'll be growing when choosing smaller or larger jugs.

2

Clean the milk jug. After washing it out to remove residues of milk using hot, soapy water, rinse thoroughly to remove all soap. Then, let it dry before proceeding.

If milk residues are stuck on the sides, scrub off gently.

Peel off labels or stickers from the jug. Either scrape the label from the plastic jug or use hot soapy water and a scrubbing pad to gently remove it.

3

Cut the top off the clean milk jug. Depending on how large you want your planter mouth to be, cut either a tighter or larger opening at the neck of the jug or just below it. To cut, use the end of the scissors to stab into the side of the jug before cutting. Once the scissors have a hold, cut around the jug. Cut to remove the top completely. Although you could cut straight around you could also create a wave pattern or even an up and down pattern around the top of the jug.

Make sure you are closer to the top of the jug opening so you leave enough room to hold the soil.

It might help to mark the are you wish to cut around the jug, to have an easy-to-follow line.

4

Prepare the milk jug for planting. Using scissors, poke small holes in the bottom of the jug. This will allow for drainage and keeps the plant healthy. Poke three to five small holes underneath––enough for drainage but not too large so that soil drops out of the bottom.

5

Decorate the planter. While this is optional, it's a chance to be creative or to hand it over to the kids for some garden decorating fun. Get as creative as you wish when decorating your milk jug. You could even “bling” out your jug using faux jewels or cover the jug with fake money for fun. Use tempera paint for the best application if you plan to paint it or you could add on with papier-mâché. Perhaps create an animal face and then paint it.

Use care if applying charms or other items using a hot glue gun. Hot glue and plastic may slightly warp or bend, so use the minimal amount of glue if you plan to use a hot glue gun for application. Consider using Super Glue as an alternative way for application.

6

Fill your planter. Pour in the soil. Put a paper plate or newspaper underneath the milk jug before you do this in order avoid picking it up and leaving dirt on the table. Fill almost to the top of the opening.

7

Add seeds or your seedling. If you're adding a seedling, use a hand shovel to dig a nook inside the soil deep enough to cover the plant to its base. For seed placement, use your finger to push the seeds underneath the dirt.

8

Water your planter. Add water to get the plant started. Be sure the planter is in an area that can receive water runoff (such as outside in the grass or you’ve placed a plastic tray underneath).

9

Make more planters. Keep reusing milk jugs to make planters so that you have rows of them. These can placed on shelving, which can be recycled too, such as using an old wooden crate or pallet.

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Tips

Wait until the planter decoration has dried before adding soil and plants.

This makes an excellent school project––students can bring in milk jugs from home.

Consider creating an upside milk jug planter by performing the same steps but instead cutting the bottom of the jug instead of the top. Drop inside a wooden box planter or hang with a hook.

Milk cartons can be used in the same manner. Simply cut the top half off the carton, poke some holes in the base and add potting mix. These are ideal for both seeds and seedlings too.

You can clean it after you cut it open. That would be quite a bit easier.

Warnings

These plastics can leech chemicals used in the manufacturing process when they are reused multiple times. This can affect soil and the plants grown in them. Best used as a disposable planter (single use) then disposed of properly.